Two-cycle internal-combustion engine having special cooling means therein



Patented Aug. 4, 1953 TWO-CYCLE INTERNAL-COMBUSTION GINE HAVING SPECIAL COOLING MEANS THEREIN Lee R. Carpenter, Cleveland, Ohio Application April 10, 1951, Serial No. 220,258

2 Claims.

engines, and particularly to two cycle internal combustion engines wherein a special cooling apparatus is provided for cooling the pistons in the engine and for preheating air fed through the carburetor of the engine, although the principles of the invention are applicable to any internal combustion engine.

Reference is directed to my prior Patent No. 1,355,452 issued October 12, 1920, wherein a special type of a two cycle internal combustion engine is disclosed and claimed. Such engine provides two pistons in a cylinder with the pistons being movable in such la manner as to provide a precompression chamber for gases being introduced into the explosion chamber of the engine. The present invention relates to this type of an engine with several additional features provided therein.

The general object of the present invention is to provide a novel, improved type of an internal combustion engine wherein special types of pistons are used in the engine and wherein `air can be circulated through the pistons of the engine for cooling same at one portion of their travel in the engine block.

Another object of the invention is to utilize heated air received from a cylinder of an engine for supply to the carburetor of the engine to facilitate the picking up of explosive materials by A,

such air in the carburetor.

Another object of the invention is to provide va common combustion chamber for a plurality of cylinders of a combustion motor.

Yet other objects of the invention are to provide a common connecting rod for -a plurality of cylinders in a combustion engine; to utilize a closed end auxiliary piston in a two cycle internal combustion engine; to provide a more ehi-cient internal combustion engine which can operate with lower grades of gasoline; and to provide an internal combustion engine that may operate with any desired number of cylinders.

The foregoing objects and advantages of the invention will be `made more apparent as the specification proceeds.

For a better understanding of thev present invention, reference should be had to the accompanying drawings, wherein Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional elevation of a novel internal combustion engine embodying the principles of my invention;

Fig. 2 is a second vertical sectional elevation 2 taken at right angles to the plane of the elevation of Fig. 1; and

Figs. 3 and 4 are diagrams representing the movement of the two pistons in the engine of Figs. 1 and 2.

The present invention, broadly speaking, relates to an internal combustion engine having Ian engine block with a cylinder provided therein, a crankshaft, a piston closed at both ends slidably positioned in the -cylinder with the piston having longitudinally spaced inlet and exhaust ports provided therein, the block also having inlet and exhaust ports therein vfor registration with the piston ports at at least one portion of the movement of said piston, means connecting to the inlet and exhaust ports in the block for drawing air through the piston at at least one portion of the travel thereof to cool same, a connecting rod received in the block and having `an offset portion connecting to the piston, an auxiliary piston in each of the cylinders intermediate the crankshaft and the piston therein, and means coupling the auxiliary piston to the crankshaft.

Attention now is directed to the details of this structure shown in the drawings, and an internal combustion engine is indicated as a whole by the numeral l. This engine l includes a suitable engine block 2 that maybe formed from yany desired material in any conventional manner and usually a separate engine pan 3 is secured to the engine block for completing the enclosure for a crankshaft 4. The engine pan 3 can be considered to be part of the engine block 2, if desired. Any suitable means can be used for journaling the crankshaft 4 in the unit formed from the engine block 2 and engine pan 3 for rotation in the lower1 portion thereof. The pan 3 is supplied with oil lthrough a spout 3a.

The engine.- i is shown as comprising a pair of cylinders 5 and `Ii which are formed in the engine block 2 and, as one feature of the invention, these cylinders 5 and 6 are provided with a common combustion chamber l adjacent the end of the engine blocl'; 2 remote from the crankshaft 4. Any suitable means, such as a conventional spark plug (not shown), can be engaged with the encine block 2 at a tapped hole 8 therein and protrude into the combustion chamber 'l for igniting combustion material placed in such combustion chamber. Conventional means (not shown) would connect to and control such spark plug.

' As in my previously patented engine, each of the cylinders 5 and 6 has a pair of pistons posi'. t1oned therein. Thus a relatively elongate piston 'in my previously identified patent.

9 is positioned in what is shown as being the upper end of each of the cylinders 5 and 6, while a special auxiliary piston I@ is received in each of the cylinders intermediate the pistons 6i and the crankshaft Il. The pistons 9 have appreciably greater movement than the auxiliary pistons I0.

Fig. 1 of the drawings shows that the elongate pistons 9 both have closed ends and that such pistons are of hollow construction so that a dead air space is provided in such pistons. However, one important element of the present invention is the provision of means `.for circulating cooling air through the hollow center portions of the pistons 9 both for cooling such pistons and for preheating air that can be used thereafter for feeding combustive material to the engine I for combustion therein. Thus Fig. 2 of the drawings best shows that each of the pistons S has an inlet port I I provided therein intermediate the top and bottom thereof, whereas an exhaust port l2 is also provided in each of the pistons 9 adjacent the bottom portion thereof. 1n order to provide for air flow into and out of the pistons 9, the engine block 2 is likewise provided with an inlet portv I3 and an exhaust port Ifi, which block ports I3 and i4 are adapted to register with the ports I and I I in the pistons i, at at least one portion of the movement of such piston. A connector conduit l5 is shown engaged with the engine block` 2 for connecting to the inlet port l in such block and suitable means may connect thereto for providing coolant air input into the piston Q when the ports II and i3 are in registration. Normally such ports register at the portion of movement of the pistons 9 when such pistons are in their ring positions in the cylinders 5 and E, with such ports then also registering, partially, when such elongate pistons 9 are adjacent their ring position.

An exhaust conduit I6 can also be engaged with the engine block 2 in registration with the exhaust port I4 provided therein for leading air flowing from the pistons 9 to a carburetor I'I which is shown diagrammatically in the drawing and processes fuel fed the engine I for combustion therein. The carburetor connects to the engine I by a manifold Ila that connects to inlet ports I8 provided in the engine block 2 adjacent the upper portion of the auxiliary pistons lll received in each cylinder of the engine of the invention.

The drawings clearly show that the auxiliary pistons I0 are connected to the crankshaft 4 by means of connecting rods i9 received within the cylinders 5 and whereas the elongate pistons S have a common connecting rod 2c provided therefor. This connecting rod 2t is received in a portion of the engine block 2 intermediate the cylinders 5 and 6 and is pivotally secured to the pistons 9 by means of a piston pin 2i. The portion of the engine block 2 intermediate the cylinders 5 and 6 is slotted at 22 to receive the piston pin 2 I. therein upon reciprocation of the pistons S in the engine block 2. rI'he connecting rod is suitably7 connected to the crankshaft 1l. Suitable piston rings or other sealing means are associated with the upper and lower portions of the pistons 9 and normally only with the upper parts of the auxiliary pistons I@ to aid in forming seals in the cylinders 5 and 6.

The path of combustive gases fed into and through the engine i will now be briefly explained, and such action is quite similar to that disclosed A combustible gas or other material supplied to the inlet port I8 flows through an inlet 23 provided in an upper portion of each of the auxiliary pistons I0. A chamber Z is provided in each of the cylinders 5 and 6 intermediate the lower end of each of the pistons 9 and the upper end of the auxiliary pistons II) and such combustible gas, after being compressed in such lower part of each cylinder, then is exhausted therefrom through an exhaust or feed port 24 provided in each of the cylinders 5 and 6 adjacent the lower end thereof. Such feed ports 2d connect through a channel or similar member 25 that extends to a point adjacent the combustion chamber 'a' provided in the engine I and terminates in a second inlet or supply port 2B provided in the upper part of the engine block vadjacent the combustion chamber 'I formed therein. A. combustion exhaust port 2l is also provided for each cylinder, as shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings.

The diagrams shown in Figs. 3 and 4 of the drawings best show the illustrative actions of the upper and lower pistons, respectively, in opening and closing the valve ports associated therewith, and the correlation of such valve openings and closings with relation to 'the valve action controllo-d by the other piston in the cylinder. Thus it will be seen that combustible gas fed into the lower chamber provided in each cylinder will be compressed therein by downward ,movement of the upper piston d in each cylinder after the inlet port I8 which is provided therein has been closed and before the feed or exhaust port 24 has been opened. After such compression of gas in the lower part of the cylinder, such compressed gas then is fed or flows into the combustion chamber provided and, after ignition, it is permitted to exhaust from the chamber through the exhaust port provided therein. The drawings and diagrams show that the exhaust ports 2 provided remain open longer than the inlet ports 26 and that such exhaust ports open prior to the opening of the inlet ports 26 in the engine of the invention.

It will be seen that relatively large pistons 9 have been provided in the engine I and that such pistons can be eifectively cooled by the cooling air supplied thereto. Also, the efficiency of the engine will be increased by the use of this preheated air in the feeding of combustible material to the combustion engine for burning therein.

The engine of the invention has been operated with relatively low grade gasolines and will function efficiently on such types of fuel. Even natural gas has been used in the engine of the invention and can be fed thereto through a conventional needle valve of a gasoline carburetor. The engine of the invention is submitted to have a relatively long burning stroke and time and the supercharging of the combustible gas fed thereto gives desired operating characteristics in this engine of the invention. rIhe use of a common connecting rod for a plurality of pistons in the engine simplifies the construction thereof, while the use of a common combustion chamber also simplifies operation of the engine and assures uniform combustion conditions and timing in the engine ofthe invention. Thus it is submitted that the objects -of the invention have been achieved, and that a novel piston cooling and air preheating means has been provided that can be used in any internal combustion engine. rlhe proposed valve cycles disclosed may be altered in any desired operable manner.

While one complete embodiment of the invention has been disclosed herein, it will be appreciated that modication of this particular embodiment of the invention may be resorted to Without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. In a combustion engine, an engine block having a cylinder provided therein, a hollovi7 piston closed at both ends slidably received in said cylinder, said piston having longitudinally spaced inlet and exhaust ports provided in a side Wall thereof, said block having inlet and exhaust ports therein for registration with said piston ports at and adjacent the position of said piston When said cylinder is to be fired, means connecting to said inlet and exhaust ports in said block for drawing air through said piston to cool same, means connecting said exhaust port in said block to a carburetor for the engine, an auxiliary piston in said cylinder adjacent the inner end of said piston, a crankshaft journaled in `said engine block, and means connecting said piston and said auxiliary piston to diierent portions o said crankshaft.

2. In a combustion engine, an engine block having a pair of cylinders provided therein; said cylinders being separate throughout except for a common combustion chamber at one end of the cylinders, a crankshaft journalled in said block. a piston slidably received in each of said cylinders, a common connecting rod received in said block and having oiset portions connecting to said pistons, an auxiliary piston in each of said cylinders intermediate said crankshaft and the said piston therein, and means in each cylinder separately coupling said auxiliary pistons to said crankshaft.

LEE R. CARPENTER'.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 988,650 Norris Apr. 4, 1911 1,180,740 Reinhart Apr. 25, 1916 1,338,256 Sieverkropp Apr. 27, 1920 1,340,223 I-Ioize May 18, 1920 1,463,644 Winton July 31, 1923 1,479,953 Bray Jan. 8, 1924 1,531,034 Seaman Mar. 24, 1925 1,396,124 Speer Feb. '7, 1933 2,159,224 Osborne May 23, 1939 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 170,909 Great Britain Nov. 10, 1921 

